Disruptive Technology for Seafood Harvesting

Disruptive Technology for Seafood Harvesting

Author: Øistein Thorsen, FAI Farms

With the goal of transforming the way wild cod are caught in the fisheries of the North Sea and Barents Sea, leading seafood brands Espersen, Icelandic Seachill and Nomad Foods - funded by Seafish – recently held a two-day workshop in Oxford, UK.

During the workshop, hosted by FAI Farms, the group created prototypes of transformational design concepts for selective harvesting of wild fish. The focus was on technology that can provide the highest quality seafood, while reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with fishing and trawling, and finding new ways to collect and make use of big data.

The workshop generated three overlapping design concepts with multiple technology components that could be combined in numerous ways to help transform how wild seafood is harvested. Solutions ranged from new technology that could be bolted on or integrated in to existing gear, to reimagining the entire process of seafood harvesting.

Disruptive Technology Workshop, video courtesy of Sira Studio

"By disruptive we mean a development that is better than what went before it, yielding significant benefits and has the potential to be implemented and scaled up in a big way"OISTEIN THORSEN, PROGRAM MANAGER AT FAI FARMS

With the support of industry, scientists and technologist, the concepts will now be developed before viable options are presented to investors – government, private and philanthropic – to mobilise the capital needed to undertake the wholesale shift required to ensure a sustainable future for our fisheries and fishermen, our oceans and our seafood.

"Seafish was happy to be approached to look at the potential for new technology to reduce the environmental impact of fishing gear, improve fish quality and take a real in-depth look at how we can innovate in the fish catching process."PHIL MACMULLEN, HEAD OF STRATEGIC INVESTMENT, SEAFISH